


Erinyes

by Galaxy_Cerebri



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: 5 people shoved in a kiddie pool, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Breath of the Wild Rewrite, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Canon-Typical Violence, Champions survived, Found Family, Gen, I can't write romance, Some Humor, Sort Of, This is their story, so it's all platonic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-06-25 13:58:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxy_Cerebri/pseuds/Galaxy_Cerebri
Summary: "We are the fire, ash and brimstone of vengeance, risen from the graves to peel away your flesh. We are the Fury--we are the Erinyes."-It was all or nothing; and Zelda chose all putting five champions into the Shrine of Resurrection. A century late, but better than never, five warriors arise from a tangle of limbs at the sound of a voice telling them to wake up. But who are they? Without name nor memory, what could they possibly hope to do once they 'woke up?TLDR: Five amnesciacs somehow save Hyrule and though some things change, things still remain the same.





	1. 5 Idiots in a Bed, and the Voice Said-

“ _Open your eyes. Everyone, please, it’s time to wake up._ ” the soft voice instructed, getting clearer with every word as it beckoned him from his slumber. 

A dull ache in his muscles pulled him further and further away from it as he was squished against multiple bodies. A white light burned through his eyelids, but what effectively woke him up properly was the small foot nudging against his face as the iridescent water he floated in receded. When the light finally dulled, he noted the swirling bronze metal above him and the floating blue lights dotted together like constellations.

Slowly, he landed on the cold metal at the bottom of the pool as he grumbled on instinct, “Urbosa, get your foot out of my face.”

In an attempt to sit up, he yanked his own limbs to escape the sea of limbs he found himself in, throwing a Rito and a large Gerudo woman out of the empty pool. The Zora woman with her foot next to his face had sat up with a confused look on her face and inquired: “My name is… Urbosa?”

“ _Link, you need to hurry,_ ” the same, soft, feminine voice said in his head, as no one else seemed to react to it when he looked around for the source of it. Silently, he clambered over the Goron next to him and out of where he had been sleeping while a soft blue mist hovered in the surrounding air, cold against his bare skin. The walls had orange lights encapsulated in bronze, arbitrarily connected to each other with bars of the same metal. The only other thing in the room was a small podium near the door, and as he made his way across the cold floor, the Gerudo woman called out, “Hey! Who are you? Where is this place?”

He ignored her in favour of examining the podium, which suddenly popped out a central component to present an intricate slab of machinery. “ _This is the Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber._ ”

Tentatively, he picked it up to twist and turn it in his hands. It came to life with a beep, shining a blue logo before dying once more. The podium, now empty, returned to its dormant state as he turned to face the four other people he found himself in the room with. “I think… my name is Link.”

The door sealing them in rose with a harsh grinding sound as stone passed over against stone. “We should get out of here before we get sealed in again, who knows how long we have.”

Hurriedly, they all made their way out of the room to find chests waiting for them. Instinctively, the Gerudo went towards the chests and flung them open, leaving them with clothes. “Should we take it?” the Goron asked. 

“Why not? I don’t see anyone else here, do you?” the Gerudo retorted. Once the clothes were pulled on, there was another door to get through and another podium.

“ _Hold the Sheikah slate up to the podium. It will show you the way._ ” the familiar voice instructed. Swiping the slate over the glowing symbol, orange lights turned blue, a mechanical voice called out, “Authenticating. Sheikah Slate Confirmed.”

The logo in the door lit up blue and gears began to shift, rumbling as bars shifted away and the door rose. Slowly but surely light flooded into the hallway, bathing them in light.

“ _Link. Everyone. You are the light. Our light. That which must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go._ ” The voice told them. Looking at each other silently, they nodded resolutely and began running up the stairs. At the cliff face before them, Link easily climbed up it, the Goron helped Urbosa by giving her a boost as Link pulled her up. The Rito flew up and the Gerudo climbed whilst pulling up the Goron.

The closer they got to the exit, the more weeds and moss grew on the steps, the more cracks filled with water, the light ahead getting stronger. Until, at last, they escaped into the land, grass and leaves under their feet, wind through the Rito’s feathers. Light warmed their skin and scales as it breached the canopy, bird song resounding in their ears.

Coming to a halt at the cliff’s edge, they stared at the wondrous landscape ahead of them. A bleeding volcano split the horizon in two, with a shattered castle to its left and a sea of green below them. Leaves danced around them on the rhythm of the breeze, the Gerudo’s soft voice mixing into it as she inquired, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“Not a clue,” the Rito replied, his voice almost haughty. With a feathered wing against his chest, he bowed and said “But I believe we should introduce ourselves, I am-” he paused, his face contorting in confusion as the silence dragged on. 

“You don’t remember either, do you?” The Goron replied.

“Well how do Link and Urbosa know their names?” The Gerudo growled.

“The voice… it told me,” Link replied

“Link said my name,” Urbosa offered at the same time

“I’m not even sure it _is_ your name,” he mumbled

“Well, it’s the one I’m going to use, if it’s all the same with you. What do you want to use?”

The Rito shook his head “I don’t know, I figure this is the name that’s going to follow us from now onward. We can’t just choose rando-”

“Oh, just hurry up, Feathers!” The Gerudo snapped

“Feathers!” Urbosa smiled “There’s a name.”

Feathers squawked in horror as they unanimously agreed to it, his hackles raising at the idea. “Good job, Red,” the Goron chuckled.

“ _There’s_ a name,” Red grinned, placing a hand on her hip as she towered above them all. “All that’s left is you.”

“Call me Boulder, then,” he replied, hobbling away from the cliff’s edge and back onto the path with the others following behind. Their feet pattered against the occasional stone steps that poked out from the ground. There, halfway down the path towards the church, was an old man walking towards a small fire in the distance. 

“Oh look, another person in this empty wasteland,” Feathers snarked, flying off ahead. 

“Wait up!” Boulder called, rolling after him as Red ran along laughing loudly. Link and Urbosa looked at each other exasperatedly before lightly jogging after them.

Grass crunched under Feathers’ talons as he landed, while Boulder slowed to a halt and jumped to his feet and Red slid to a stop. Picking up the baked apple at the foot of the fire, Red sat down slowly across from him under the shelter of the hill. “May I?”

“Please, help yourself,” the man rasped, his fingers tapping against the cane he had leaning against the rocky wall beside him “An apple and an open flame make for a succulent treat. It’s certainly strange to see another soul in these parts.”

“No one else lives here?” Urbosa inquired, leaning away from the flame lightly.

“Nope, just me, the monsters, and the ruins.”

“Where are we?” Feathers asked.

“This is the Great Plateau,” he informed, extending his arms outwards as if to bask in the surroundings. “According to legend, this is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule.” With strained groans as his joints clicked, he lifted his cane and pointed it in the direction of the church behind him, saying, “That temple there… long ago, it was the site of many sacred ceremonies. Ever since the kingdoms fall 100 years ago, it has sat silently. Abandoned. Decaying as the sands of time went by. Yet another forgotten entity, a mere ghost of its former self, wouldn’t you say?”

The crackling of the fire joined the symphony of sounds around them as Urbosa shook her head, the fins on the sides of her face dancing with the movement. “I wouldn’t say that. You can learn from the past, to not make the same mistakes as our forebears.”

The old man gave a grunt of derision as he shook his head. “But how can we learn, when over time, their mistakes get weathered away until we can no longer even discern what was the true past?”

Red scoffed, getting to her feet. “Come on, let’s find a way out of this place. I want to know who I am, what my name truly is, not linger in limbo forever.”

“I am in agreement,” Feathers added, huffing off after her.

“Come on, everyone, relax! It’s an old man stuck in his ways, you know how they can be!” Boulder stated.

“Aren’t you an old man?” Urbosa retorted with a laugh, the skip still in her step as they followed the path.

“ _Link, head for the point marked on the Slate’s map,_ ” the feminine voice ordered, returning as it always did. Picking the slate off of where it hung on his hip, he tapped the screen. In squares of black and blue, a pulsing triangle read: “Current Location”. To the north-west was a golden circle. Spinning the slate turned the triangle’s direction, and once he oriented himself to face the direction of the circle, he yelled out, “Guys! I think I know where we need to go! Follow me!”

And so the hunt began. Down rocky paths and the long hill, Link periodically checked the slate to ensure they hadn’t strayed from their direction. Twigs snapped under their weight as they bolted through the trees. Feathers stayed low in the air, uncomfortable with his talons on the ground for some reason, choosing instead to stay ahead with Red as scouts. Boulder kept the rear to protect them from ambush, once they recalled the monsters the Old Man spoke of, while Link and Urbosa stayed in the middle in a weird sort of U shaped formation. Rustling of leaves to the side caught their attention, as an orb of blue slime rolled its way into their way. Its red and yellow beady little eyes blinked up at them in a creepy sort of way.

It continued to stare at the group as they stared back silently, no one really moving until it reared backwards and rammed into Red, sending her flying a few feet back. The woman immediately caught her footing as Feathers shot higher into the air while the other three backed up a little to get out of range. Red’s hand tightened into a fist as lightning crackled around her. Shoving her hand forwards, an arc of lightning shot from her to the creature. It shook for a few seconds - its body rippling- before exploding into small droplets, leaving only a charred mark on the grass behind.

“What in the name of Hylia, was that?” Feathers exclaimed.

“I assume that was one of the monsters the old man mentioned,” Red answered.

“Well, yes, of course,” Feathers retorted. “I meant the lightning!”

“Ohhhhh,” Red drawled. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

“Not the time, everyone,” Link called. “We’re close by, it’s just up ahead past the ruins. Someone grab a stick, so we can defend ourselves, at the very least.”

“It’s a stick, what could we do with that?!”

“We can’t always rely on Red’s lightning arc, kiddo,” Boulder replied. “Onward!”

Things didn’t get much better from there. As they clambered their way over and around ruined towers and fountains and waded through ankle deep puddles, they got closer and closer to the mark on the map. When they were mere feet away, they saw that the entrance was surrounded by a trio of Bokoblins. Softly, Feathers landed beside them, crouching in the tall grass. Red hid behind a large rock with Boulder and Urbosa, while Link blended into the grass.

“How are we supposed to get around them?” Urbosa asked, leaning over the edge to get a closer look. 2 red Bokoblins waited upon the ridge, with one standing at the entrance of the small cavern they needed to get inside. Each one waved some form of a weapon around.

“I could use a lightning arc? Stun the 3 of them?”

“What if it doesn’t work? There’s a difference between a Chuchu and a Bokoblin, Red,” Boulder reminded her. There was a beat of silence as Red thought. Grabbing the sash belt on Link’s waist, she tightened her hair back into a ponytail. Beckoning them closer, the group got into a tight circle, as she began to whisper out orders and point out directions.

“I’ll go around to that lone Bokoblin. Feathers, if you can distract those two up there, I can get its sword and shield and stab it. Link, you’ll follow close behind me and do whatever our Conscience tells you to do. I’ll deal with the two Bokoblins after so Urbosa, Boulder, can take its weapons. Ready?” They all nodded. “Let’s do this then.”

Feathers shot up into the air in a burst of speed flying low and close to the right, near the two Bokoblin on the ridge. “Come and get me!” he taunted weaving skyward, as he dodged tossed rocks. 

With the attention off the cavern, Red shot through the tall grass and tackled the lone Bokoblin to the ground, it’s weapons falling out of its grip. With a quick forward roll, she got to them faster and grabbed them before stabbing the blade into its throat. “Go,” she hissed at Link who quickly ran into the cavern once the coast was clear.

Red climbed onto the elevated hill and threw her shield at one of the remaining Bokoblins, and stabbed the other in the back. With a roaring cry, lighting burst out from around her and paralyzed the last one. Quickly she stabbed it in the head before it was able to get back up leaving them in the clear. One Bokoblin left a wooden staff and the other left behind a bow once they exploded into dark smoke. Urbosa slipped her foot under the wood and kicked the weapon into her hands, while Boulder passed the bow to the landing Feathers.

“Might suit you better than me, my friend,” he said, receiving a grateful nod in return. The four of them briskly walked back to the cavern where Link awaited them at the lone Sheikah podium. 

“You didn’t start?” Urbosa questioned.

“Not without you. We do this together, or not at all,” he said bluntly. Turning to the podium with two companions on either side of him.

“Please place the Sheikah Slate on the Pedestal,” a mechanical voice instructed, remembering how the slate jutted out of the first pedestal, he placed it into the holder in the center. The central console spun and fit back into place and the orange light brightened for a moment before the pedestal said, “Sheikah Tower Activated. Please watch for falling rocks.”

“What does it mean by that?” Feathers asked warily, inching away from it. The others quickly followed his lead. The ground began to shake as the rock walls rumbled. Boulder pulled Feathers, Urbosa and Link closer, shielding them with his body from debris as Red dropped to the ground in a crouch dodging and rolling away from them. Birds in the distance began flying away from the area, as an earthquake seemingly shook the entire landscape.

The walls around them burst away as the floor began to rise. Rock and pebbles fell like rain, dust surrounded them in a blinding mist. Little speckles getting into their eyes, as water grew in their eyes. “Stay close!” Boulder yelled, keeping the younger trio close. Dirt fell from the sides of the platform like waterfalls as it got higher and higher. 

“Guys! Look!” Feathers exclaimed, pointing into the distance as other towers (seemingly like the one they were precariously on) rose across the horizon.

An azure light shone from beneath their feet and flickered around them as Boulder leaned back from around the trio. “Is everyone ok?” he called out. Dusting the dirt of their clothes, they all nodded. 

“Maybe a few bumps and bruises but I think you got the worst of it. Are you sure you're ok, Boulder?” Link asked. 

The Goron patted him on the head lightly. “That was nothing for me, I’ll be right as rain.”

“We should get the Slate and get the hell out of here,” Feathers suggested. Link nodded, running for the pedestal which now had a large stalactite hanging from machinery on the ceiling. “Great Plateau Tower!” the pedestal called out. “Distilling local information…” 

Link backed away as the stalactite illuminated, turning from a dark rock grey to the Sheikah blue they were quickly becoming used to, growing brighter and brighter as a water droplet grew larger and larger until it dropped onto the slate.

Getting closer they saw the screen turn on and the black and blue squares of the map turned into an aerial view of what was seemingly the plateau. The slate was then quickly returned to them.

“ _Remember… Try… Try to remember…_ ” the Conscience called, pulling their attention to the broken castle in the distance with a golden light coming from the heart of it. “ _Y_ _ou have been asleep for the past 100 years._ ”

Dark mist with a red tinge to it exploded from the ground, circling around the castle. “ _The beast… When the beast regains its true power, this world shall face its end._ ” The mist coagulated into a monsters head, coming to life with a blood-curdling roar ripping through the air. Shaking them all to the core despite the distance between them and it. “ _You must hurry, my friends, before it’s too late. We have already failed once. We cannot afford it again. You are our vengeance, the undying will of retribution. You must defeat the beast for you are our Furies, our Erinyes._ ”


	2. Deals and Shrines

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” Feathers began calmly, his wings crossed over his torso in thought. “We have to get from here, down back to the ground with a Goron, all the way to _the castle of Death_ and fight that _monstrosity_ ?! Not only fight but _win?!”_ The last words from his mouth were high-pitched and screeched. His hackles rose and his feathers ruffled, some of them falling out as he bristled at the thought.

Urbosa couldn’t blame him; despite being near the comforting Boulder, and the sheer distance between themselves and the Beast, its cry left shivers in her spine and a vice grip on her heart. Rage and Malice bled off it in droves, curdling her blood as she tried to resist the urge to puke. Slapping a hand against her face, she pulled Link back from the edge with her free hand. “Please, let’s just get down from here,” the red and white scaled Zora mumbled lowly.

Nodding, Link agreed. “Feathers can fly down. You, Red, and I can climb down, but what about Boulder?”

“Feathers, think you can look around?” Red asked. The Rito nodded resolutely, abjectly avoiding the sight of the beast looming in the horizon. Taking to the sky and doing a quick circle around the tower, he saw small platforms sticking out of the sides that spiralled around the pillar like steps leading down to the ground. 

In the meantime, the other four waited around the tower top silently stewing on the revelation they were given. Furies, Erinyes, what did any of that even mean? Was the beast the reason they had been asleep in that pool for a hundred years? What had they missed? Had anyone missed them?

“Hey!” Feathers called out, snapping Urbosa out of her stupor. “I think I know how we can get Boulder down!” Swooping in closer, he hovered in the air with the beat of his wings as he told them of the platforms. 

“We can roll him from step to step, do you think the distance will hurt you?” Link asked, to which Boulder shook his head. Rolling into a ball, Boulder felt himself get pushed over the open hole in the tower top. A weightlessness caught him before he landed, and the process continued four or five times over and over until flat rock gave way to scraggly dirt. 

Unfurling with a chuckle, he lay there laughing boisterously as Feathers landed at his feet while he watched the other three jump down from the last step after him. “Boulder, let’s make sure you never get up one of those ever again, ok?” Urbosa suggested with a smile. “It was a little scary pushing you down, I was worried we’d send you flying.”

“But it was fun!” he replied.

“Ho there!” a gnarled voice called before the Zora could reply, and to the side the Old Man glided down on a contraption through the air. Coming to a halt near the group, he said, “My, my… It would seem we have quite the enigma here. This tower, and many others just like it, have erupted across the land. Almost as if a long dormant power has awoken quite suddenly.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” he continued. “Did anything… odd occur while you were up there?”

“We heard a voice,” Link told him, gesturing to the group with him. They all nodded, remembering the woman who had dubbed them Erinyes, guiding them to the tower and what was hopefully their future so they could find their missing past.

“A voice? Did you happen to recognise it?” the elder asked, to which they all replied no in some form or another between grunts and shaken heads. “Well that’s a shame. I assume you saw the atrocity enshrouding the castle in the distance. That is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to its knees. Holding a blade to its neck. It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives lost in its wake.

For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle has managed to contain that evil, but only barely. There, it festered like a disease, building its strength until the day it could unleash its blight upon the land once again to destroy everything in its path. Cursing the land and unlucky people who survive to live in eternal damnation. And it seems… that day is fast approaching.”

“We plan to go there…” Link said. “The Voice… Our guide… it said we need to kill that thing. So that’s what we will do.”

“We?” Feathers reiterated in disbelief.

“Yes, we,” Red growled, as if in warning.

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” the man grumbled. “This isolated plateau is surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, as if it floats in the sky on its lonesome with no obvious way down.”

“I could easily fly down,” Feathers retorted, but flinched under combined looks as the other five looked at him in vague disapproval.

“I only have a few paragliders, but they would mean at least two of you could float down to the lands below safely. I don’t know about your Goron friend though,” the man warned them. “I’ll give you the paragliders I own, in return… for treasure that sleeps below us.”

Nodding resolutely, Link shook his hand to formalise the deal. Pointing at the structure in the distance, he says, “See that thing in the distance? It began glowing for the first time, the exact moment those towers rose. It seems like the kind of place that might house a treasure, don’t you think?”

Grinning, Link bolted for it with Urbosa on his tail. Feathers flew after them, keeping pace as Boulder grunted, “Children,” with a smile. Following along with Red at the end, they left the old man in the dust. They curved around a small pond, climbing over half buried machines and under leg-like protrusions and through the grass. 

“So we get the treasure, we get to leave and find out whoever is making that voice then we find out who we are.” Link told them with a panting breath as he pushed forward despite the stitch in his gut.

“Our Conscience isn’t a very chatty person, you know, and who’s to say that we’ll even find out who we are by the end of it all?” Red warned, her feet tapping against cobblestones as grass gave way to paved rock. 

“Why are we doing this?” Feathers asked flapping along above them with a displeased look. "And why do you call the Voice 'Our Conscience'?"

“To answer both, do you have any other ideas?” Link retorted over his shoulder.

Urbosa began to speed up the closer to the structure they got, speeding past Link. The closer they got, Link pulled off the slate and threw it into her hands as she stopped next to the pedestal. Swiping it over the pedestal as she had seen Link do, it said, “Sheikah Slate Authenticated, Travel Gate registered to map. Access Granted.” 

Metal bars with intricate detailing swung inward revealing a small surface. When Link stepped onto it, light pulsed from beneath and the ground moved as Urbosa whined “Not again…” This time, the floor moved downward as it slid down a blue tube. They all jumped after him and landed before it got too far whilst dirt gave way to smooth metal structures that encapsulated them. Eventually, it came to a halt miles below the surface, and they all burst out of the tube and landed on the polished floor with a grunt.

“To you who sets foot in this shrine…” a voice rasped, the sound echoing in the halls of the chamber, “I am Oman Au. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.”

“I’m getting very tired of this,” Red grumbled.

“You and me both,” Feathers added. 

With the Slate still in her hand, Urbosa jogged her way to the stalactite on the far side of the room and placed it on the pedestal. “Sheikah Slate authenticated. Distilling Rune…” it told them. A drop of weird water later, and the Sheikah logo swapped to an odd U. “Magnesis,” Urbosa read out loud as she took it back from the contraption. “Manipulate metallic objects using magnetism”

Tapping it the entire area turned a red hue as everyone tensed in response. Red gripped her sword tightly while Feathers notched an arrow and Boulder stepped forward. The metal slabs glowed crimson but when Urbosa pointed the slate at one it shone yellow instead. Tapping the screen once again, the slate instantly got heavier, and as she tried to keep her arm up despite the load, the metal rose.

“Well then,” Boulder mumbled, placing his hands on his hips. “Seems that Slate has some more tricks for us.”

“There’s something under there,” Link told them. “Urbosa move to the side, please.”

Nodding, the Zora turned her torso, and the slab followed the slate. Pulled along by yellow, translucent ribbons of light like a lead. Lowering it back to the ground, she experimentally touched the screen and the red tint in the area disappeared and so did the weight.

Letting her arms relax, she looked to where she had moved the metal slab from to find stairs leading further downward. Urbosa passed the slate back to Link and immediately jumped into the water with a laugh whilst the others slid down the ladder. The cold water soothed her dry scales. 

She hadn’t been out from the pool in the cave for very long, but the water she drifted in was a balm against the blistering fear that Calamity Ganon left behind with its screech. She darted through the water with her staff tightly gripped in her hand, though, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Like the water, it was comforting to hold, like she had held one regularly in another life.

Following the path they entered another chamber with a wall of bricks trapping them in a cube, a single metal brick in the pile. Link quickly shoved it out of the way, unceremoniously exposing the small crab-like machine on the other side. It lit up orange and the eye in its head glowed before it shot a burning beam that they all barely dodged.

“Feathers, same trick as last time!” Red ordered. The Rito began making wide, swooping arcs, barely dodging the burning shots. Urbosa spun her staff and when its back was to her, she stabbed the wood into the mechanism between its body and head but it got stuck. The machine’s head spun opposite to its body and Urbosa’s grip slipped, sending her flying across the room. Tossing her sword to Link, Red quickly slid on her knees over to Urbosa’s prone body, deflecting a beam from hitting the girl and into a wall with her shield.

“It’s defenceless after it shoots!” She roared. “Get it in the eye!”

Link grabbed the blade out of the air. It sung as he sliced the air and jabbed it into the enemy’s firing eye. Smoke billowed from inside, a high pitched noise emitting from it. He jumped backwards, barely fast enough to avoid getting hit with shrapnel as it exploded.

Picking up the functioning components left behind and Urbosa’s staff, he stuffed the former into the bag in his pocket. “You ok?” he heard Red ask as she helped the Zora to her feet. Urbosa nodded, annoyed. 

“I can’t believe it got me like that,” she mumbled.

“None of us thought it could move like that,” Boulder called to her as Link passed her weapon back. “Come on, kiddo, the sooner we get the treasure the sooner we can get out of here,” he said, patting her on the back once they gathered together again.

Walking across the metal slab over the gap between the floor and the next island, they used magnesis to move it over, crossing the next gap. Pulling an enormous set of double doors outward with the slate, they revealed a cage of iridescent blue on a platform at the top of stairs behind it. Within it was a skeletal being, aged and browned, as skin stretched over bone. Time withered their white hair and gold jewellery hung from their thin limbs.

Link went forward to the cube up the narrow staircase. Tapping it with a finger, it grew brighter and whiter before it shattered to pieces, little flecks of blue floating in the air like stars before fading away. “You have proven to possess the resolve of a True Hero. I am Oman Au, the creator of this trial. I am a humble monk, blessed with the sight of Goddess Hylia and dedicated to helping those who seek to defeat Ganon. With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled,” the monk told them from their seat, with crossed legs and palms pressed together in prayer.

“Hero? The Voice called us Erinyes, what does that mean for us?!” Feathers exclaimed, but the monk steamrolled through his words, continuing on with rehearsed words. 

“In the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this blessing unto you… Please, accept this Spirit Orb, may it give you strength.” A purple sphere phased into existence from the monk, shattering into five pieces before one was absorbed into each of them. 

Pressing a hand to his chest, Link ordered, “Answer his question. We need to know.”

Stretched skin pulled even further as the monk moved for the first time, his lips shifting into what was seemingly a smile. “May the Goddess Smile upon you.” With that, he eroded away in speckles of teal and green fading away into nothingness.

Silence over took them all for a moment, before Feathers said, “Let’s get out of here.”

When they finally exited the shrine, the sun had lowered into the horizon line. The soft yellow light of day turned a warm orange that blended with the dark of the night sky to make strokes of purples, pinks, indigos and violets, as if a painter had taken a brush to the sky. 

With more questions and, somehow, fewer answers than they had started with, they shuffled their way out of the shrine opening into the world around them where the old man waited for them silently.

“It seems you got your hands on a Spirit Orb, well done!” he congratulated, giving them the first smile they had seen since they met him. 

“Paraglider, please?” Feathers reminded him, a smug smile on his face. 

“I encourage you to slow down, my courageous friends,” the old man said, Feathers’ smile falling in disbelief as the man continued onwards despite their deal.

“The appearance of those towers and the awakening of this shrine… It is all connected to that Sheikah Slate you carry on your hip there?”

“What do you mean?” Boulder questioned, stepping forward to put space between Link, who carried it, and the stranger. 

“It has been quite some time since I have seen that Sheikah Slate… Long ago, a highly advanced tribe known as the Sheikah inhabited these lands,” he began pointing at the three eyes, stylised face atop the shrine which had changed from orange to blue. “The great power of their wisdom saved this kingdom time and time again but their technology disappeared eons ago… or so it’s said. It is interesting to think… how something like that survived all this time hidden away in a shrine. These shrines are tucked away in many places all across this land. There should be three more on the Plateau alone. Bring me a treasure from each of those shrines… and then I will give you the paragliders.”

“That wasn’t the deal,” Red hissed, taking a step forward. But the tall Gerudo’s wrath did nothing to frighten the man as he shrugged, saying, “Oh? Well, I suppose I change my mind. I’m sure that won’t be a problem from go-getters like you. But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll teach you a trick to finding the shrines. Survey the area from a high point and mark areas using the Slate. Maybe the tower will be a good point!”

“You must be insane,” Red retorted. “Climbing that thing is madness, we barely got down safely last time. Especially considering Boulder.” 

The Old Man laughed. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to climb it. Allow me to show you a trick to save you some effort.”

He instructed them to huddle close together and look at the map on the Slate. There, on the display were two blue icons that hadn’t been there last time. One for the shrine they were at, under the yellow triangle, the cave where they had woken up and the tower.

“You can travel instantly to any of those places using the Slate, or so I heard long ago,” he told them, to which Feathers and Red scoffed in disbelief. "I don’t know if it truly works, only what they say."

“Either way, it’s getting late and the monsters roam freer under the cover of night. For now we won’t be going anywhere but the temple to make camp. Your new _deal_ can wait,” Link said walking away with the others.

“That’s not a deal, that’s plain _extortion_ ,” Urbosa mumbled.

“Yep, but what else can we do?” Boulder replied. “On the upside, maybe we’ll get more of those nice runes and it’d be great to know if we can travel like he said.”

“He’s a mad man, who will keep adding to this so-called _deal_ for _however long it benefits him!”_ Feathers exclaimed. “You don’t honestly believe what he’s _saying_ , do you?”

“What I’m saying is, that we just went miles underground, controlled metal with the Slate and watched a man fade into the ether. Let’s give him some benefit of the doubt, even if he is a swindler.”

Red shrugged, shaking her head. The Temple was mostly empty, bare the occasional Bokoblin in their path and along the ceremonial staircase. Cracks and holes covered the walls, and crumbling rocks littered the ground. Soft winds brushed through shattered windows as moss littered the ground. Tossing sticks they had gathered into a pile, Boulder began building a fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going feral making all these chapters, but I'm having so much fun making them. Brot5 is starting to be set up and I'm loving this weird family of 5 amnesiacs


	3. Worries and Machines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the companions patience wears thin, they get closer and closer to getting off the plateau. In the meantime, Boulder comes to a conclusion and Urbosa makes up her mind.

“The roof is held together well enough that we won’t get soaked. It’s better than where we woke up because, at least, here we won’t get randomly locked in without warning.” Red surmised as she began to walk the perimeter. Taking out the slate, Link brought up the time keeper.

“We can surmise that night will fall at nine pm, when the weather symbol is the moon and the sun will come up at six am. So each of us will take watch for two timepieces. I’ll take first watch from nine pm to eleven pm, then I’ll wake Urbosa - who has it from eleven pm to one am - then Boulder from one to three am, Red from three to five, then Feathers from five to seven.”

“Sounds reasonable enough,” Boulder nodded once the fire was up and crackling in the wind. 

“Stay together, the nights can be cold and unforgiving,” Red warned. “It will seep into your bones and bleed you of warmth. We have no blankets, so stay wary and close to the fire.” Urbosa curled up near her, shuffling closer to the older woman’s bulk in front of the fire. Feathers seated himself in an odd position and closed his wings closer to his body to protect against the wind, while Boulder placed himself between Link and the nearby open window.

Link’s watch passed in the blink of an eye, with the sound of crickets and the fire floating through the air. Adding a few sticks, he woke Urbosa for her watch, he passed the slate over and sat down next to Red. The Gerudo stirred at the sound a little before opening one eye blearily. She scoffed, yanking him closer and throwing an arm over him as she grumbled “You’ll catch your death over there, idiot.” Urbosa giggled at the sight of it, shuffling over to the open ledge to the left side.

Staring out into the starry sky, she couldn’t help but wonder who she might have been. ‘Urbosa’ didn’t particularly sound like a Zora name. Too hard and rough around the edges, not the flowing syllables that she was slightly familiar with, that her tongue instinctively went towards anytime she spoke. Nevertheless, it was the name she’d taken up, and it was growing on her. 

Unlike her companions she wasn’t particularly stocky, not like Link who seemed to buzz with an unidentifiable energy, not like Red whose commanding presence got them through all those skirmishes. But the name was strong. She had no idea where it came from. She had no clue what its history was and so had no future to live up to it. Like the starry sky above them, the name had limitless opportunities.

A shuffling sound caught her attention from behind and she turned to find Boulder getting up and stalking over quietly, or rather as quietly as he could considering his large frame. Looking down at the Slate, she saw there was still one time piece left until his watch. “What are you doing up?” she asked, confused.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said, his voice like the crackle of rocks against each other in a rock slide. A part of her wanted to call him out on the fact that he completely slept through Link climbing over him to get out of the pool they’d woken up in.

“You ok?” he asked. Her face broke out into a smile at his question. 

“I’m fine. I think… I think I’m going to be great.” she answered.

“Oh?” he hummed, staring out into the lands

“Outside the Calamity Ganon, I feel… light. There’s an innumerable amount of possibilities for us out there. We… we got a  _ second chance,” _ she told him, throwing her hand out and pointing at the limitless horizon before them.

“We still have to kill Calamity Ganon,” he retorted.

“Of course we do, we owe to our Conscience. But after that? Between getting off the Plateau and stopping Ganon, we can do whatever we want!”

“You’re excited,” he said, not a question because she so obviously was. With the fear of Ganon washed away with the setting sun and the unending sight of the sky at night driving her, hell  _ yeah _ she was excited. He let out a light chuckle at her smile. “Ok, I get it.” he told her. “It’s been one hundred years, we remember nothing and anyone who might have known us likely would have died.”

“Does that make me callous?” she asked, halting in her joy. Once someone said it aloud, she was a little worried. He patted her on the back softly. 

“You’re a kid, Urbosa. You, Feathers and Link. I don’t think any of you even had a  _ chance _ to live before we all got shoved in that pool. You missed out on your lives. This is your chance. So what if it sounds a little callous? You’re  _ allowed  _ to be callous,” he told her. “So tell me, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get off this Plateau?”

Like a star in her own right, the Zora girl beamed and began expunging all the things she wanted from the lands left in Ganon’s wake. How she wanted to swim in the longest river, try to go from one end of Hyrule to the other. Find out it was even  _ possible _ in the first place! 

Red smiled as she watched them silently. Gently rubbing a hand over Link’s arm as he shivered, she looked over to Feathers who was snoozing on his own, his feathers allowing for a good shield from the cold. Shuffling a little, she pulled Link along with her despite his sleepy grumblings. Running the fingers of her free hand she watched as Boulder stayed awake for the rest of Urbosa’s watch and eventually as the girl fell asleep.

“These kids, huh?” he asked, once he had carried the girl back to the fire and set her near Red. 

“Yeah, but they’re smart kids,” Red retorted. “Link with his mind, Urbosa with her heart, Feathers with his wit, you with your Reason and me with my tactics? We’re gonna crush Ganon.”

“He won’t even see us coming,” Boulder grinned.

“Gonna stab him in the back, and twist it with a smile.”

“But on the morrow? We get that treasure, we find a way  _ off _ this floating island in the middle of nowhere and we do whatever the hell we want.  _ Then  _ we take down Ganon.”

“Because we’re so much better than him, that he’s  _ barely  _ a blip on our senses.”

“ _ Not even that, _ ” Boulder ended. A silence lulled over them before they burst into snickers, Boulder occasionally making shushing sounds so as to not wake the children.

So the night passed into the day and night watches passed between all of them. Link wobbled on his feet dazedly, Urbosa occasionally pulling him to rights when he went too far to the side. Feathers was standing on his other sides as he casually ate an apple, trying not to choke on his laughter at their de facto leader’s state.

“Feathers-” Link began, getting cut off by a long yawn.

“Scout the Plateau?”

“ _ Please _ ,” he grumbled, squinting in the early morning sun while Urbosa and Feathers laughed at his misery. Approaching from behind, as Red tightened the strap to ensure her sword was secured to her hip, Boulder called out: “Kids, play nice.”

“I’ll go meet the Old Man on the tower,” Link started.

“Are you even awake enough for that?” Feathers teased.

“That’s why I’m taking Urbosa with me,” Link replied as they jogged down the steps from the temple. Pulling up the map, he began, “None of us can really survive Mount Hylia except for you, Feathers, so you can do a quick fly over that, Red and Boulder, you can check out the Eastern Abbey, we’ll meet back here when we’re done.”

“And how are you going to climb up the Tower to meet the old man?” Red inquired.

Grinning, he looped his arm around Urbosa’s and tapped the screen “I’m going to Pray to the goddess that we don’t have to.”

In a flash of blue, the other three watched as the two of them broke into the individual strands. And far off in the distance they saw another blue flash at the top of the tower. "I guess he wasn't insane," Red mumbled in annoyance.

"I told you so," Boulder sang, snickering until she threw a glare at him. “Be careful, Feathers, and don’t get shot out of the sky,” he called out when Feathers darting upward with a laugh.

While Red and Boulders took a side path towards the Eastern Abbey, Urbosa and Link began speaking with the Old Man at the top of the tower. Shaking off the disorientation, they heard the man grumbled “You sure took your time.”

“So sad, too bad,” Link snapped.

“I asked you to join me up here so you can use this as a vantage point to search for shrines,” he told him, snatching the slate from his grasp. After a series of exaggerated taps, he said “This is the scope, it will allow you to maximise as an image so you can mark areas for exploration on your map.”

Taking the slate back he pointed it towards Mount Hylia, pinning the shrine as he watched Feathers cleave an arc through the air back towards the Temple. “Link!” Urbosa yelled. “Look!” Turning his head, he saw what she was pointing at.

There in the distance where the Eastern Abbey should be, were explosions of fire and beams of light. “The machine,” he whispered in horror, remembering the creature from the first shrine. Tossing the slate to Urbosa, he started yelling to the wind and flailed his arms to catch Feathers attention from the air.

“Urbosa! Go to them and see if you can help! I’ll meet you there when I get Feathers!”

“But-”

“Go!” he ordered. After a beat of silence she nodded and started running for the steps downward. She bolted down the steps and made a break neck run for the abbey. The bursts and explosions getting louder and louder with every step she took. The sound of her heart beating like a drum in her ears.

“Feathers!” she screamed as she saw the Rito who got closer. He quickly leaned back to hover in the air, “Link’s waiting for you at the tower, go get him! I’ll back up Red and Boulder!”

With a sharp nod, he shot towards the tower as Urbosa kept going. The sounds sending her back to a time of terror and pain that she couldn’t remember. A twinge in her heart. While she kept going though, kept powering through, Feathers finally got to Link at the top of the tower.

Throwing his bow and arrows at the smaller warrior once he landed, he leaned forward. “Get on!” he yelled and was glad to know Link did it immediately, not questioning his judgement in this situation, despite Link being their leader in all but name. “Hold on, I’m not going to slow down!”

“I didn’t expect you to!” Link yelled back despite the howling winds in his ears. Sharp turns in the air and dips followed in ways that only Feathers could likely do. “When we get there, take the hit because it’s the only clean one you will get.”

“We need to give them a clear opening. I got it,” Link said, leaning back as he tightened his legs around Feathers so he wouldn’t be blown off in the wind.

Notching an arrow, he aimed while the large, glowing, machine kept targeting their companions. The strain of pulling the string back burned his arm, but he maintained it for a second. Then another. Then a third before letting it fly and hit the machine right in the blue glowing eye. “Go!” Feathers roared.

The trio on the ground ran from cover to cover as Link and Feathers barely dodged high speed shots before sliding under cover. Feathers dropped behind the wall with them, with Link jumping off the second his talons hit the ground. “What happened?” Link rushed out.

“We just got here and one of the broken machines woke up and started shooting at us!” Boulder explained in a rush.

“It can’t move so we stuck behind cover but we couldn’t get a reasonable hit considering Boulder doesn’t have a weapon and my blade is getting some wear,” Red tacked on. Absorbing the information, Link nodded. 

“If it can’t move we’ll sneak around,” he said, turning on the map. “The shrine is in the centre of this closed off square. We’ll only have a few seconds to go around since getting on top of the walls will catch the machine’s attention.”

“I can’t make that climb fast enough,” Boulder warned. “I’ll go back to the Shrine we woke up in. You can teleport there, right?”

“Map says we can,” Link replied.

“Then it’s a deal. You get this new rune. Protect each other, alright?”

The all nodded and as Boulder began to run for the Shrine, as they all started to go the long way around the abbey onto the cliff face that could ultimately lead if they faltered even the slightest in their step. Rocks crumbled lightly as they climbed the ruined structure and shuffled to the side until they were directly behind the shrine. Nodding to each other, Link went first. Jumping upward, he grasped onto jutting stones and nooks until he was all the way up and over. Feathers flew over, and Red pushed Urbosa up, and kept the rear.

Activating the shrine, they huddled together on the tunnel platform and began to descend into the Abyss. 

In the flats of the Plateau however, Boulder had a different plan. In the distracted amble of a Bokoblin tribe, he stole a bow and picked up an arrow. He set it alight with a perimeter fire, he went straight for the kill and targeted a red barrel that sat in the large skull they turned into a hut. The resulting explosion burned them all, as the screams went into the night.

In the ensuing chaos, he rolled into the burning camp and went for the large club laying out in the open and ran off with none of the Bokoblins the wiser to his actions. Before going off to find the woodcutter’s axe near the place they had met the old man. It was like taking candy from a baby. A little cruel but he had people to protect now. People he cared about. 

Little Urbosa who wanted to see everything. Link who followed their Conscience’s words because he didn’t seem to know what to do himself but was willing to do everything he could to get them off the Plateau. Feathers who didn’t seem to want anything to do with any of this but stuck by them. Red, who watched over the children with him but wanted to know who the hell she was. They all deserved better than all of this.

As Urbosa had said, they had missed out on the past one hundred years. They didn’t remember anything and anyone who knew them was probably dead. Urbosa was young, as were Link and Feathers. They had their lives ahead of her. But he and Red… they had already had one. Who knew how long  _ they _ had left. So what time  _ he _ had left, he was going to use it to protect those kids. And he knew full well that Red would do the same.

Because the two of them? Birds of a feather. And these were  _ their _ kids.

And he was going to stop Ganon, or die trying. Because no one would hurt those kids. Nor were they going to be shafted into a pool to be forgotten for a hundred years.

In the shrine a voice rasped from within its depths: “To you who sets foot in this shrine… am Ja Bajj. In the name of the Goddess, Hylia, I offer this trial.”

Locked in the chamber, they saw the rune pedestal of to the side, but ahead of them was a simple slope blocked off by cracked rocks

Link slipped the Slate into the pedestal and awaited for the next rune, mechanisms shifting and tumbles rolling. “I wonder what it will be this time,” Red grinned, like a child given a new toy to play with. Then again, Red had all but taken the roll of their combat strategist and she  _ wasn’t _ dumb. She knew that to treat a new weapon, an unknown weapon, without respect was a slippery slide that ended in death. But the last rune they had gotten was  _ Magnesis. _ She was practically buzzing with excitement to see what the new one was.

So when Link read: “Remote Bomb, a bomb that can be detonated remotely.”, she grabbed the Slate and read it in disbelief. A smile growing larger and larger on her face with every word. Tapping the screen, she was given the option between a sphere and a cube and she chose the former.

A glowing blue ball phased into existence. It was large, unwieldy, and barely sat in her hand. With a smirk she placed it on the ground at her feet and kicked it toward the broken blocks ahead. “Step back,” she called. Once close enough to the blockade, she tapped the slate’s screen and the ball exploded. They all instinctively threw their hands up and protected their eyes from the light and debris.

Once the dust faded, the grins on Link’s and Red’s faces grew. “Uh oh,” Urbosa hummed, smiling as Feathers snorted “I don’t know what’s scarier, Red with a sword or the both of them with explosive devices.”

So they continued their way through the maze of tunnels bombing the bricks that blocked their path until they got to a large auditorium full of large brick slingshots that threw a small metal ball from one side of the room to the other back and forth. The only set of stairs leading to the monk at the end was blocked off by walls upon walls of bricks. But on their side, was a large brick slingshot not throwing anything.

Materialising a new bomb, Red slipped it into the path of the empty slingshot and watch it fly through the air to the bricks. Once it landed, she detonated it and watched the bricks burst into tiny pieces.

“Now let’s go get the rest of those spirit orbs and punch the old man if he sends us on another chase,” Red growled

“Agreed,” Feathers concurred to the wry grins of Urbosa and Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Difficult chapter to write after the heart to heart in the first half, so uhhhh sorry if it seems repetitive after a certain point


	4. The Princess, the Knight, and the Four Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The band of five find out the truth behind their awakening on the Plateau, the name of their Conscience and their true names.

Getting the last two spirit orbs was piss-easy; the stasis and the cryonis runes were retrieved under the purview of Link and Feathers, since the other 3 incapable of getting to the frosty peaks without being hurt by the cold or having trouble making it up the peaks.

Red had snuck into the Old Man’s home while he’d been off gallivanting and read about the warm doublet in his diary. With boar meat from the Forest of Spirits, spicy peppers from the edge of the mountain, and Hyrule Bass that Feathers had found in the lake near the Shrine of Resurrection, they were able to exchange the recipe for the warm doublet, securing Link’s venture onto the mountain peak with Feathers for the two shrines.

It’s likely that they didn’t think a non-Hylian would take on the challenges, not expecting a Rito to pick up the orbs and drop them into the needed holes. Puzzles they might have been, but the combined efforts of a Rito and a Hylian really were unbeatable. Throw in a Gerudo, Zora and Goron? They were unstoppable.

From the Bokoblin camp, within the cursed chest, they found a throwing spear for Urbosa. It was much more weildable than the staff she had been carrying around. At the centre of the lake where they found the Hyrule bass had been a rusted broadsword, more suited to Boulder’s size than the club he had wielded for the past few days in their ambush strikes against the various Bokoblin tribes.

Throwing dirt over it, Feathers put out the fire with practiced ease as the sun began to rise. Their original night watch time table was kept as it worked so well the first time (even if Boulder and Red would steal Urbosa’ and Feathers’ watches occasionally). Flying up into the rafters, Feathers began to fletch new arrows using sticks, string and his own feathers.

“You have collected all the spirit orbs,” a voice said from the once empty balcony. Feathers grabbed his bow and aimed an arrow, lowering it once he realised it was merely the creepy, old man that liked to send them on wild goose chases (was he bitter? Yes, yes he was). “It’s time I told you everything.”

“You’ll have to wait,” the Rito told him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Then beg,” Feathers retorted, soaking in the Old Man’s shocked expression with sheer vindictive glee. He kept his face as expressionless as possible, trying desperately not to laugh as he pretended to ignore the man. It seemed to all be for naught as a tired Red’s snickers filled the air before being exchanged for boisterous laughter. 

“Be nice, Feathers,” she tried to say, but the meaning was lost as she could barely say it through her chuckles.

She nudged the Hylian next to her and gave Boulder a light click from across the doused fire to wake them both. “Seriously, Red?” he grumbled, waking up Urbosa as Red continued to laugh.

“Don’t whine,” she said. “It was a love tap.”

“Why are we awake so early?” Link asked with a rasp, looking up to find the Old Man staring at them all. “Ah, I see, back to sleep I go,” he told them, setting off more laughter from Red and the others. Feathers tried desperately to stay up in the rafters. It was good to know that their collective hatred of the man could bring them together.

The Old Man let out a loud cough, catching their attention once again. “Now… meet me where the four shrines intersect,” he instructed.

“Oh, so another wild goose chase?” Feathers asked sarcastically. Instead of an answer, the man suddenly disappeared in wisps of teal fire. Above him, another flash occurred and looking up to find a figure standing on the uppermost floor of the temple. Calling out to his companions, Feathers pointed upward in derision. “He couldn’t have just told his down here?”

“No,” Urbosa replied, “It’s much too difficult to do things the easy way.”

“So how are we going to get up there?” Boulder asked

“There’s a ladder on the balcony up to the roof,” Link told them as he began to walk towards it. A part of Feathers felt a little bad for Boulder. Unlike Link and Urbosa (and possibly Red, he wasn’t too sure about her), Boulder would never be able to fly with Feathers. He’d never really be able to feel the wind against his skin. But, on the other hand, how could he miss something he never truly had?

At that singular moment, the only important question was ‘Would the Ladder be able to take his weight?’

The answer was, thankfully, yes. As the roof was weakened, they crawled along the outermost border made of bricks and mortar that held under their collective masses, taking the long way around to the main spire were the Old man waited for them.

“Well done,” he congratulated as they climbed into the room with him, if it could even be called a room. One wall had completely broken down, and a stained glass window was completely shattered behind the spirit. “Now, the time has come to show you who I truly am.”

His voice was strong, much more projected compared to how he had spoken to them previously. A voice built for making orders and with such a voice, it wasn’t that surprising when he told them, “I was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I was the last leader of Hyrule.”

“Was?” Feathers whispered mulling over the wording as the King’s form shifted from a raggedy vagrant, to bright blues and purples. Dyes that were difficult to gain if you weren’t filthy rich, so to speak. Gold trimmings on the hem and large, handmade detailing caught his eye, as did the ostentatious crown sitting on his head and the large jewellery .

“The Great Calamity was merciless…” he began, his voice straining under withheld emotion as the man remembered the fall of Hyrule. “Lo, a century ago. it was then that my life was taken. Since that time, I have wandered this plane as a spirit.”

With a regretful expression, the king floated away from them to watch the remnant of the world he had once lived in. “I did not think it was to overwhelm you, not while your memories were still fragile. So I took a temporary form, to guide you through this new world. Forgive me, everyone...”

Quietly, the five of them looked around at each other. Silently regretting the hatred they had held for him a little. Looking back at the king, Link asked, “So what happens now?”

“Now…” The king started, looking back at them for a moment “I think you are ready to hear what happened one hundred years ago.” He closed his eyes, his expression almost wistful if it weren’t for the horrible things he was recollecting. 

“To know Ganon’s true form, one must know the story from an age long since past. The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you now. Stories of Ganon was passed down from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales, but there was also a prophecy. The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear, and the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground.

“We heeded the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn’t long before we found several ancient relics made by the hands of our ancestors. These relics, the Divine Beasts, were giant machines piloted by warriors.

“Entombed with them, were the Guardians that were an army of mechanical soldiers that could fight autonomously. All of this coincided with the ancient legends that were whispered throughout Hyrule. I think you met some Guardians in the Eastern Abbey.”

“That’s what those things are?!” they all exclaimed, and the king merely nodded.

“We also learned of a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. It was they who sealed Ganon away using the power of these ancient relics.

“One hundred years ago, there was a princess, who was set to inherit a sacred power, and skilled knight at her side. It was clear that we must follow our ancestors’ path. To aid them, we selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule and tasked them with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts.

“With the princess as their commander, we dubbed these pilots Champions. With their combined efforts and the Guardians, we thought they would succeed.

“The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon… But Ganon was cunning, and he rebuffed with a plan beyond our imagining. He appeared from deep below Hyrule Castle, seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts and turned them against us.

“The resulting chaos destroyed the castle as you can see, and everyone within range died from with Ganon’s full resurrection and the Guardians. The Knight and the four Champions were left gravely wounded in the process in their attempt to regain their Beasts. And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by Calamity Ganon in their absence. However, the princess survived to face Ganon alone.”

Once he began to speak, it was as if the floodgates had been opened. As if, the moment someone told him to stop, he may never find the strength to start again. A scar in his heart and soul that pulled at his emotions. He tried to keep the emotion from his face, but it was so obvious that there was truly no point in it.

“That princess…” he whispered in restrained pain, “Was my own daughter… My dear Zelda. And the courageous knight who protected her right up to the very end… That knight was none other than you, Link. The rest of you were the other four Champions.”

Urbosa flinched and her eyes widened at the truth behind their slumber. They had failed something so important? How were they able to escape and survive? What about the princess? Boulder’s enormous hand fell on top of her head as they all watched king somberly.

“You fought valiantly when your fate took an unfortunate turn,” he tried to reassure but the emotion wasn’t truly there, like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince them of this. “And then, you were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection. Here you now stand revitalized, 100 years later. The words of guidance you have been hearing since your awakening are from Princess Zelda herself.

“Even now, as she works to restrain Ganon from within Hyrule Castle, she calls out for your help. However, my daughter’s power will soon be exhausted. Once that happens, Ganon will freely regenerate himself and nothing will stop him from consuming our land. Considering that I could not save my own kingdom, I have no right to ask this of you, Link… But I am powerless here. I beg you, you must save her and do whatever it takes to annihilate Ganon.”

He then instructed them to go to Kakariko village to find out how Ganon maintained control over the Beasts for so long. He told them to speak to Impa, the Sheika that had placed them all in the Shrine of Resurrection for such information.

“Do you…” Feathers started. “Do you know what our real names are, at the very least?”

With a sad look, the king began, “Your name was Revali,” he told the Rito. Looking to Urbosa he said “Yours was Mipha, and yours,” he continued, pointing at Red, “Was Urbosa.” The two women looked at each other in disbelief before back at the king, looking at the man as if he were mad. “And you were Daruk,” he told Boulder.

Passing them all the two paragliders as promised he pleaded, “Please, save what is left of Hyrule and Zelda. They do not deserve for this to get worse.” With that, he disappeared.

“I guess we have a job to do…” Link told them all, his voice near a whisper. Beckoning them closer, they all held onto each other as Link teleported them to the Ja Baij shrine, near the edge of the Plateau. “Ok, we just have to get over the wall and down there,” Link told them. With weird maneuvers, they were able to were able to distract the nearby Guardians as Urbosa and Link helped Daruk over the wall and down to the collapsing cliff edge.

Once at the Plateau’s end, they all leaned across the edge. Staring blankly at the steep cliff face. “This is like that tower all over again,” the newly named Daruk mumbled. Leaning back they looked around for a way to get Daruk down there. 

“We could roll him down?” Urbosa suggested trying to lighten the mood after the king’s revelation. Daruk choked on his spit, shaking his head wildly, “I would never survive that distance!” he exclaimed.

After Revali was once again on the ground, Link asked “Feath- Revali, can you help me line up the door?” With their combined efforts, the door that had sat at their feet was shifted to lean against the cliff edge, with its arched top tilted upwards. Explaining his plan to use stasis on the door to send the door soaring through the air to comfortably sail Daruk and the poor unlucky soul down, Link turned to look at Daruk again with an encouraging smile. 

The Goron had a nonplussed look on his face as he shook his head. “Not even Hylia herself could convince me to try this.”

“Here’s an idea,” Mipha began, “Revali can go and activate the nearest shrine and he can come back with the Slate and we can all teleport there?”

A beat of silence passed before Daruk told them, “See, this is why she’s my favourite.”

“You already have a favourite?” Urbosa asked.

“You don’t?” Daruk countered.

“You’re considering having favourites?” Link questioned.

“Don’t worry, the position is negotiable,” Daruk assured him with a smile. “Only, of course, as long as you're willing to not even consider throwing me into the abyss.” Link and Revali looked at each other with exasperated expressions before giving Daruk and Urbosa a pair of strained smile.

“Revali? Link?” Mipha said, catching their attention “Is it ok if I go too?”

Link gave a small smile, passing her the Slate. “I’ll keep an eye on the old pair, you go ahead.” 

Mipha was taken aback by his words “Are you sure? I don’t want to swap in and take over...”

“Not at all, I think this might be better,” he replied, raising a fist. She easily tapped her own fist against his, as he instructed: “Make sure Revali doesn’t insult someone who turns out to be a king, again?”

“I can’t make any promises,” Mipha told him, giving a facade of regret at the idea, already well aware the Rito was definitely going to do the exact opposite of what they said. 

“I’m right here,” Revali groaned as he squatted down for Mipha to climb back on board, not even suggesting the girl use one of the paragliders inside.

Once situated, he threw his Wings outward and dived off the Plateau. A few seconds passed with them out of view before Revali shot back up into the sky, a small burst of wind shot around them like a twister as he went off into the distance.

“They should be ok right?” Link asked the other two champions with him.

“We let you go off with Revali,” Urbosa reminded him. “And the pair of you are feral together. They should be fine.”

“I’m offended,” Link stated “But you're also right.”

Daruk just laughed.

Link leaned against a rock but his weight rolled it out from under him. In a small puff of smoke and leaves, a squeaky voice yelled “Yahaha! You found me! Wait… Your not Hestu. But you can… see me? Right?”

A small tree sapling like being with a large leaf covering what was most likely its face stared up at them. Waving the small cherry covered sticks in its hands around, it stated. “I didn’t know your kind could see children of the forest.” It almost seemed to shrug before deciding, “Well if you ever run into Hestu, please return this to him for me.”

It casually dropped a golden seed in Urbosa’s hand as the knight and two champions stared at the creature. “Oh!” it exclaimed. “And my friends are hiding in lots of places too! Don’t be shy about poking your nose into suspicious places!” And with that, it popped back out of existence with the same smoke and leaves that revealed it.

“I’m not the only one who saw that? That wasn’t a dream, right?” Daruk asked, scratching his head. The other two shook their heads, concurring the weird scene that just happened in front of them. Looking at them, Urbosa asked: 

“My question is- What in Hylia’s name is a Hestu?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A true found family in the making, if I ever saw one
> 
> Urbosa: We can yeet him?  
> Daruk: _you're not yeeting me!_
> 
> Mipha is the anxious baby of the family tbh. While everyone else is mostly coping, Mipha is a disastrous seesaw of "Totally ok" and "Oh god, this is a disaster" but she's trying.
> 
> Somehow Revali became the savage son, but I'm more than ok with that.


	5. Of to see Impa!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The companions get some Horses, find out what a "Hestu" is, and enter Kakariko village

“I thought the deal was to get the first nearby shrine and then teleport back?” Link inquired once they had teleported onto the completed shrine next to the Dueling Peaks Stable, an entire day later in the early hours of the morning. 

Mipha smiled at him, “There was a lot of monsters on the way here, we thought it would be safer to get to the Hylian settlement here, than go for the first shrine.”

“Besides,” Revali tacked on, “We got a tower activated, and it gave us a shrine sensor. So we can get more places to teleport, meaning we won’t have to roll Daruk everywhere.” 

Said Goron chuckled at his response, “He’s not exactly wrong,” agreeing with Revali, because it  _ was _ getting a little old. But to be honest, it was endearing that the kids were willing to go so far to make sure he wasn’t left behind. It was  _ humbling _ .

They easily walked through the ankle deep water to get across the moat surrounding the shrine and to the stable. “A Hylian, a Rito, a Goron, a Gerudo and a Zora walk into a Stable-” Urbosa started, “Sounds like the start of a bad joke.”

“Kakariko doesn’t seem too far from here,” Mipha mumbled, looking through West Necluda’s map. “Maybe we can get some directions?”

“And a horse so we can keep up with this one,” Urbosa said, pointing her thumb at Revali.

“It’s not my fault you’re all so slow, Red,” he retorted with a smug look. Mipha laughed at his words whilst everyone smiled at the use of Urbosa’s nickname. As if reminding them that despite the information that they had gained about their past, they were still the same people that they had chosen to be since they had woken up in the Shrine of Resurrection. It was kind, in a roundabout sort of way that only Revali could achieve.

A quick group discussion resulted in Mipha, Daruk and Revali going to ask around for directions to Kakariko, while Link and Urbosa caught a few horses. “We were a little worried when you were both gone for so long,” 

They awkwardly apologised because they both knew Daruk wouldn’t get mad, just disappointed which, frankly, made them feel a little worse. With a soft laugh, the Goron patted them on the head as he reminded them to not do it again like misbehaving children.

“Welcome to Dueling Peaks Stable! I’m Rensa, how can I assist you today!” a man standing between the stable desk and the door greeted. They quickly found out Kakariko village was at the of the north road, past the bridge. Mipha thanked him quickly, pulling up the map, noting it wasn’t that different to what they could see.

“Hmm…” a soft voice hummed before them

“Are you ok?” she asked the strange, dark haired Hylian before her

“Yes, I’m just trying to study the traits of the blood moon but it’s not going the way I would like…” he grumbled, scratching his chin in thought. When they asked for further information on the so called Blood Moons, he began to explain that since Ganon’s surfacing, every so often when the moon was at its peak, the sky would turn crimson and the full moon would burn. With it, monsters that had been previously defeated would come back to life.

The excitable man quickly wandered off at their horrified expressions, remembering the wave of destruction they had rendered upon the Bokoblin tribes in the Great Plateau, what they had planned to make their home base. 

“You guys ok?” Link asked, walking up to them whilst they just stood there, guiding a horse behind him with a hand on the side of its face as Urbosa did the same with the horse following her.

“Fine,” Revali said. “Just found out every monster we have killed will be resurrected when the moon is red and they will probably come after us with a vengeance. Other than that, really no biggie.”

“Sounds great,” Link retorted with an equally horrified grin on his face as he pulled the straying horse he was guiding closer. “Epona please,” he whined.

“Epona?” Mipha reiterated,

“Epona,” he confirmed. “She is gorgeous, a kind soul and the eternal love of my life.” 

Revali looked at Urbosa with a confused expression on his face and asked “He does realise Epona is a horse, correct?”

“Bold of you to assume he cares,” she laughed.

“I really  _ am  _ the only sane one in the group,” the Rito mumbled in awe as the others all but cackled at his words. They quickly had the horses set up in the stable to stay there when it was late, while Revali and Mipha collected some apples to bribe the barely tame horses to stay on the path.

“Crap,” they heard Link say, “We don’t have enough rupees for  _ one  _ bridle and saddle, let alone two…”

“How much is it?” Mipha asked, as Revali pulled the purple gem they had found within the Ha Dahamar shrine next to the stable.

“That is more than enough, here is ten rupees change for the fifty,” the stableman replied with a smile.

“We should do more shrines,” Link told them as the stable man left to get the bridle and saddles he had promised them. Revali nodded with a grin as the horses were set up, silently watching as Link and Urbosa were taught to put the gear on their horses and how to tighten them to avoid any problems in the future.

By the time they had set off, the slate said that it was eight pm and the sky had gotten dark. They were given a lantern free of charge to hang off the horse’s saddle to see through the darkness that blanketed them. Mipha sat behind Link on Epona as Urbosa cantered behind them on her own horse. Revali flew along above them and Daruk rolled after them.

Despite the late hour, there were still a few souls on the paths. A few peddlers past them by, willing to sell them wares in exchange for any items they carried (oddly enough they were willing to take the monster parts they had collected from their Bokoblin War and give the companions rupees for them). 

It was just as the Slate clock reset to 0:00AM when they began crossing the Kakariko Bridge and all seemed to be going well despite how long they had been travelling without sleep. Sadly, they didn’t have the money to stay in the stable and they didn’t want to impose by resting at the fire outside it.

They occasionally picked herbs along the path as they went, stuffing Hyrule Herb, Armoranth and Ironshroom into the saddle packs as they went up the hill. The steepness slowed them down a little as the horses had a little trouble making it up and Daruk couldn’t exactly roll  _ up _ the hill.

Things went a little wild when they saw a giant green  _ thing _ waving its arms, that the other Hylians on the path ignored. As if they couldn’t see it. “You don’t…” Daruk began “You don’t think that’s another one of those Children of the Forest do you?”

At Mipha’s confused glance, he explained the little creature they had found on the Great Plateau. The one that they had originally thought was a collective fever dream between them all. Urbosa kicked her heels together, speeding up her horse and going up to the humming creature.

“Shalaka?!” it screeched at her greeting “You- You can see me?!”

With a nonplussed expression, she nodded and it began to sing in glee. “It’s been a hundred years since anyone has been able to see me!” It's exclamation pained them a little, reminding them of their failure and they couldn’t help but ask themselves… Was that their fault?

“I’m Hestu,” It introduced, pressing its stubby hands together. “I need your help, please! Those monsters over there stole my beloved maracas!” It told them, pointing at a cavern in the distance ahead. “I can’t use my powers without them,” it whimpered. “So please!  _ Please  _ get my maracas back from them!”

Mipha nodded and agreed to do it quickly, a sense of guilt moving her to get the Maracas back. The others smiled and nodded along, willing to go along with them. Revali scoped out the area and saw three blue bokoblins, the smarter kind of Bokoblins that really suck.

Link and Boulder walked right into the tribe using the archway that Hestu had pointed out to them while Urbosa and Mipha climbed the wall, tossing a bomb in to take attention away from the former two. Detonating it sent the three enemies flying in different directions. Link went for one, Daruk for the second and Mipha jumped off the wall and stabbed her throwing spear right into the third as she landed.

The three of them stuck to their own enemies. Mipha ducked and weaved around a club. Using quick jabs to whittle away at the Bokoblin in front of her. Link did a quick roll to the side to avoid a club going for his head, nearly knocking into Mipha who easily back flipped over him. Daruk stood still as his enemy tried to swing a club at him. Not even flinching as his skin took a deep green tint and the club shattered against him before he took his claymore and carved right into the monster.

They all jumped back at Urbosa’s sudden roar. Not even a moment went by when all three Bokoblins were struck with interconnected chains of lightning. A roasted smell filled the air, and they were quickly shoved off the edge of the hill and into the abyss.

The quickly returned the Maracas to Hestu, smiling as the giant Child of the Forest sang and danced in unadulterated  _ joy _ . That is… until he realised no sound was emanating from them. “The Korok seeds inside are gone now… If I had just one Korok seed, I could sing, dance, and use my powers to thank you!” he cried, the tree like being seemed to wilt at the revelation. 

Urbosa paused. “ _ You’re  _ Hestu, right?” she asked, being easily confirmed it, a little confused by where she was going with it. Nodding, she rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a golden seed. “Is this a Korok seed?”

Hestu giggled and sang, “YES!”

It took the seed and slipped it into one its maracas. “You see, I have the power of inventory expansion! I can let you fit more items in a given space!” With a dance and a song, Hestu’s maracas began to glow more and more with its vibrant dance until it finally exploded in a spring of pink light and leaves. “You should be able to fit more items into your bag from now on!” he told them. “I should be here for a little while longer, so bring any more Korok seeds you find, ok!”

“That was…” Daruk began.

“Interesting?” Link offered, as they continued up the hill towards Kakariko at nine am. The path soon became a ravine passing through two large hills on either side. Passing schools of fish in ponds, and birds that took to the skies as they closed in. Goats trotted ahead of them, the sound of crushing grass soothing them as they began to pass under wooden arches with lettering reminiscent of those found on their Sheikah Slate as bells hung from them, dancing in the wind as they entered the village.

Next to a fire at the entrance was an old woman, lying on the ground. Daruk helped her to her feet as she apologised for the trouble, seeming to have twisted her angle. Noting the slate that hung from Urbosa’s side, she asked, “Say, traveler, where did you get that object hanging from your waist?”

Quickly explaining they had woken up in a shrine and it had been offered to them, before they were told to seek out the village, the elderly lady nodded in understanding. “That Sheikah Slate,” she began, “Is a symbol. It means that you are the Hero of Legend… but it’s odd… only one of you should be able to wield it to that extent. Not all of you.”

“We Sheikah have been waiting for the Hero for a long time,” she explained, “You really  _ should _ speak to Impa, she resides in the large house in the centre of the village, at the bottom of Lantern Falls.”

Nodding, they got off the horses and tied them to the gates at the entrance, feeding them apples and patting them before they made their way down. Revali flew, Daruk rolled down a long hill going around the village as Mipha and Link Paraglided. Urbosa shook her head and simply walked slowly, taking her time instead of rushing.

Walking up the house, a pair of sheika growled at them for  _ trespassing  _ of all things before noticing the Sheikah Slate. Urbosa scoffed as they were allowed to make their way up the long stairs up to the house after profuse apologies. At the door a Sheikah girl yelped when she noticed them, encouraging them to step inside when she noted the Slate they carried. She introduced herself as Paya with an anxious smile that Mipha could identify with.

Pushing the large door open, it creaked with the movement. The scent of incense filled their noses as they stepped inside. On a raised tower of pillows and in the centre of a ring of lanterns, a small Sheikah with a wide brimmed hat covering their entire face with the way they slouched.

“So,” the woman rasped, raising her head to look at them. The chains swinging as she said “You’re all finally awake. It has been a long time, everyone.” She patted her knee and beckoned them closer “I’m much older now, but you remember me, don’t you?”

They stayed in the doorway. Unsure of what to say. The truth could be cruel would be cruel considering how long she had waited (most likely their entire hundred year sleep), but to lie would be even crueler. Unanimously and without a word spoken between them, they chose to say nothing at all instead.

“What’s the matter?” she inquired. “You are looking at me as if I am a stranger to you, your eyes lack the light of familiarity… Surely you at least remember my name? Impa?”

Mipha crossed her arms, almost hugging herself before she admitted with a shake of her head that they did not in fact remember her. Unable to hide the truth as the woman prodded them for answers. “So you have lost your memory?” Impa deduced, and after a brief pause, she said “It matters not. Frankly, it might even be a blessing in disguise for the time being.”

Once more, she instructed them to come closer and once they were close enough to take a seat on the wooden floor before her. “A hundred years ago, Hyrule as we knew it was destroyed. When you all fell, Princess Zelda’s final wish was to place you in the recently excavated Shrine of Resurrection on the Plateau. In a sacred slumber that would heal your wounds so that one day you may all awaken and take back the beasts and defeat Ganon once and for all.

“When you Champions fell to the four blighted spawn of Ganon within your Divine Beasts, I sent spies to take you from within the Beasts and sneak you to the Plateau from the four corners of the continent. With that, Princess Zelda went to face Ganon… all alone…” she explained to them, a sense of gloom over talking the calm of the incense. “Before she went, she entrusted me with some words to say to you, once you finally returned. Here I have waited since you went into sleep to deliver her message. But these are not words I can deliver if your memories are in tatters. You are obviously tired. Take the night to mull this over, as it is not a decision to be taken lightly. Rest and decide if you want to hear these words, for they are not for ones without convince.”

Calling Paya in from outside, she introduced the girl as her grand-daughter and instructed the girl to take them further into the house toward the beds for them to rest, so the sleep may chase away their woes and they may relax even for a brief moment.

The morning passed them by as Daruk, and Revali easily fell into the embrace of sleep. But questions kept Link and Mipha awake. As the sun rose further into the sky, the two of them sat on the roof of the house side by side, with their shoulders pressed against each other. They stayed there without a word, taking comfort in each others presence.

It was only when the sun had peaked in the air when Urbosa joined them after wandering through the village and asked “What do you want to do?”

“We spent a hundred years asleep in that pool, and Zelda… she’s waited that entire time, barely fending off Ganon. She risked everything for us… I want to help her…” he said, wavering here and there because he just didn’t know what words to use.

“Are you sure that’s what  _ you  _ want to do?” Urbosa questioned, sitting down on his open side “Or is it a sense of guilt pulling you along?”

Link looked at her in horror. “How could you ask that?”

“I ask because I’m worried about you,” she retorted, “I don’t want you risking your life like this out of  _ guilt _ , I don’t want you nearly killing yourself four, maybe  _ five _ times over, out of  _ guilt _ . I want you to do this for the right reasons. I ask because, frankly,  _ I don’t think anyone else will care enough about you to ask _ .”

“What are the right reasons though?” Mipha asked. Urbosa shook her head, looking out into the distance. 

“I don’t think there really is one, considering the circumstances,” the Gerudo said, “Guilt could get you killed, justice could chip away at you as you continue to try to do the right thing, until it destroy you… Just… are you absolutely  _ sure _ ?”

A moment passed where Link could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. The pounding getting louder as seconds went by and the beating getting harder in his chest like drums sounding the call to war. “Yes,” he eventually said, committing to the decision. Leaning forward, Urbosa looked Mipha in the eye and asked “And you?”

The Zora nodded, “I’m in until the end of the line.”

Urbosa grinned and stood up on the curved roof. Stretching her arms over her head, her back popped under the tension. “Well then,” she said “Let’s go wake up the other two and talk to Impa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was originally gonna smash ch 5 and 6 to make a 6k chapter but things went off the rails in ch 7, so I decided to keep em seperate
> 
> Urbosa: Team Mom/Devil's Advocate
> 
> Link's tendency to do the right thing regardless of his own safety is starting to kick in, this adorable self sacrificing hero. And no, I did not forget that only the Hero can use the slate and that Zelda couldn't access shrines despite having the slate. There's a reason they can all do these things.
> 
> Trust in my madness.


	6. Divine Beasts and the Start of a Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin.

With the evening came the Legend of the Hero and the fall of Calamity Ganon. Impa spun the tale like she was making a gorgeous tapestry, except it wasn’t just a  _ story _ . It was the history of Hyrule. It was their past that was forgotten to the point that it was nearly indistinguishable from a legend. 

The Sheikah explained the birth of the Divine Beasts, who were designed to weaken the Calamity with a devastating attack, and the Guardians, made by her clan to protect the Princess and the Champion to aid them in battle. “Minus Link, you were all chosen,” Impa said, “To pilot the Divine Beasts to help weaken Ganon, so that when Link struck it with the Sword that Seals Darkness with Zelda strengthening his attack, we would destroy Calamity Ganon,  _ forever. _ ”

“We thought we were prepared,” she whispered, unravelling a massive scroll on the floor with faded and cracked ink. Her hand softly brushed over the images before her, her touch feather light. “But Ganon proved us so very wrong.”

She sighed, rubbing her face with a gnarled hand. “And so, I will tell you all now, what Zelda wanted me to pass on to you,” she began “ _ Free the Divine Beasts _ , she said. Revali, you piloted Vah Medoh in Tabantha. Mipha, your Divine Beast was Vah Ruta in the Zora’s Domain further east from here. Urbosa, yours was Vah Naboris in the Gerudo Desert to the south and lastly Vah Rudania piloted by you, Daruk, in Death Mountain. It would be ill advised to face the Calamity without the strength of the Beasts at your back.”

“When my spies snuck you out, there was a Blight in each of the Beasts,” she explained. “Like a disease seeping into the main controls, they said that nothing you did could regain control and you couldn’t defeat the Blights. Unfortunately, it has been a hundred years so our information is most likely out of date outside of this so you will have to do reconnaissance in the areas around them.”

She took the slate and marked the areas down for the group. In the quiet of the room, Revali asked the question that had plagued them since they entered the village. “Lady Impa,” he started to say “When we first entered the village, a woman said that only the Hero could use the slate… Yet all of us can wield the runes, activate the shrines and towers using it… What does this all mean?”

Impa rubbed her chin in thought after she rolled the scroll back up gently. “What you must know about the Shrine of Resurrection that you were all placed in, was that it was designed to heal a single person but the princess… she refused to let only her Knight be placed in. We were not sure the shrine would work correctly with all of you in there, but in her words that we would either get five saviours when the time came or none at all.”

“We agreed to place you all in the shrine, unsure of what would happen. We were not sure how long it would take for all of you to heal, to what extent you would heal, or if you would heal  _ at all _ ,” Impa stated before giving them all a gum filled smiled at them “The fact that the only side effect was a shared ability to use the Slate’s full functionality, is a miracle from the Goddess.”

“And our memories?” Urbosa requested.

“I suggest you go to Hateno village, I believe the Princess might have left some things for you hidden in the Slate. It’s one of the few places that was able to survive Ganon’s terror. A sheikah named Purah lives there who has dedicated her life to studying the runes and the Slate’s functionality. She is the best person to look into it.”

With that, she sent them off with a reminder that they could not get out of this now that they had agreed to go and free the Divine Beasts. Once they stepped outside, the sun had long since fallen and the moon had risen to its peak in its wake. The village was mostly empty except for a lone Sheikah standing at a canvas, painting as if he was battling against the canvas itself.

When he noticed them staring, he grinned sheepishly and asked, “Sorry to bother you, but are you fellow travellers?” At their nods, he smiled and hummed. “I’m an artist, I just  _ love _ art. In fact, I’m traveling the world in search of beautiful landscapes. Just between you and me… I hear there is a Great Fair Fountain somewhere near this village. I hear it's a breathtaking sight. Aesthetic aside though, they also say the place can bestow some kind of mysterious power on people… But as an outsider, no one is willing to tell me much more than that.”

With that he waved and walked off towards the inn. As they began to walk towards the inn, the Slate began to beep loudly. “What  _ is _ that?” Urbosa asked, her face scrunching together as the sound all but dug into her head. 

“It’s the Slate’s sensor!” Mipha replied with a smile, taking it from Urbosa. “There’s a shrine nearby.”

Waving the slate around she began to walk in random directions until she got the general direction of the shrine, realising that it was at the peak of a massive hill overlooking the entire village. “Who wants to go after it?” Daruk asked.

“Mipha, you wanna go fight a monk?” Urbosa asked with a smirk.

“What have we got to lose?” the Zora answered, beginning to run up the hill. Watching as the two women went to challenge, Link offered to make them all food using a cooking pot next to the village entrance where Epona and the other horse waited for them. “I’m still surprised by the fact that you can cook,” Revali said, crossing his wings over his torso.

“I can throw things in a pot,” Link replied, shrugging. “It’s just a matter of guessing what I need to throw in said pot.”

“Can I stick to fish?”

“No.”

In the meantime, Mipha and Urbosa stepped off the elevator as the monk greeted them in the customary way that all monks greeted them. Unlike all the other shrines, this particular shrine was merely a singular chamber with a single gate on the other side of the hall, blocking them from the monk on the other side.

Bathed in the blinding blue skylight, they took out their weapons. The empty silence around them caused them to tense in anticipation as they stepped closer and closer to the gate. Suddenly the ground shifted under their feet as a panel slid away in the centre of the floor and something rose from under it.

In seconds, they got a clear view of the same crab like machine from the magnesis shrine that had thrown Mipha on her back, except with this machine. Its head detached from its body and rose on a single tower and a glowing blade of hard light formed from a weird arm like contraption. Tightening the grip she had on her throwing spear, she started to take slow steps backward.

“Urbosa,” she started, her voice wavering a little. “Please, leave this to me?”

“Got it,” the Gerudo said, back pedalling out of the central arena square towards the entrance. Sparks flew off the machines second, broken arm as it tried to crawl closer and closer. From behind the gate, they heard the monk call out advice to jump to the side. Doing as told, Mipha noticed a weak point on the monsters side and immediately stabbed at it numerous times.

Stepping back and raising her spear, she blocked numerous strikes from the blade. “Do a backflip to dodge,” the monk suggested. Remembering how she had backflipped over Link when they were trying to get back Hestu’s maracas, Mipha waited for the Machine to rear back its blade. She grinned when she dodged. Landing on a single hand, she sprung back onto her feet. She darted forward in the blink of an eye. She stabbed it in the central tower. She quickly yanked her spear back and parried the blade to the side. 

Spinning the weapon like a lightweight baton, she let out a roar (one she would sooner associate with Urbosa than herself). With a burst of light she didn’t expect, a single dart of light stabbed clean through the machine. The machine was completely cleaved in half and the pieces slid apart as the machine exploded.

Her chest heaved with pants as she tried to catch her breath, Urbosa’s heeled shoes tapping against the metal, tiled floor of the shrine as she came closer. “How’d you do  _ that _ ?” the older woman asked, sounding almost proud of her. 

Mipha shrugged, not completely sure herself. “I assume it's like how you wield your lightning chains.”

“Willpower and focus,” Urbosa told her, patting her on the head. The small Zora girl smiled, as the gate rose and allowed them to pass toward the monk at the back of the shrine. Urbosa tried to not underestimate her teammates. Her fellow champions and lost souls. But their  _ age _ , it was hard to get past for her. Legendary warriors or otherwise, at what cost did that come from? Their childhood? Their future? Their autonomy in turn for the greater good?

She was well aware that Daruk had practically named the three of them his charges. She could see why. She was barely able to restrain the urge to do the same herself. Fact of the matter was, despite their age, they were still warriors and their age wasn’t going to change that. Quietly, in the sanctity of her own mind, Urbosa decided to fight for them. 

Daruk had obviously decided to protect them. Acting as their last line of defense. Their last shield against anything that would want to hurt them. As they absorbed the Spirit Orb given to them by the monk, Ta’loh Naeg, Urbosa decided she would be their first blade. The first sword that would strike against their enemies. Destroying them before they ever got the chance to meet Daruk.

Sheathing her weapons, Urbosa threw an arm over Mipha. “You did good,” the swordswoman praised

“You think?”

“I know,” Urbosa smiled, stepping out of the shrine.

She didn’t expect the plate of meat and fried fruits and herbs that Link presented them with when they eventually found the trio at the cooking pot in the early morning. Ignoring the fact that such a drastic amount of time had passed since they had entered the shrine, Urbosa quickly took the plate as her stomach rumbled. Despite the odd appearance and choice of ingredients, it was surprisingly tasty (which at this point really shouldn’t have been so surprising considering the fact that Link was somehow able to make seared meat taste good).

Dropping to sit on the floor, she joined them as they all sat around the fire in a circle to eat. Quietly, they munched on the food as they started to plan. Mipha was obviously trying to avoid the Zora’s domain, and since the temperatures of Northern Akkala and the Gerudo desert could possibly kill her even with protective armour, she was more than happy to go to Tabantha to deal with Vah Medoh. Revali was happy to go along with this, and Link refused to acknowledge the idea that Mipha couldn’t travel to Death Mountain or the Desert with them.

It was at this point that Urbosa and Daruk looked at each other. Their thoughts in sync, nearly psychic as they agreed that all three kids were in denial but maybe that would be ok for the time being. So they agreed that the first Divine Beast they would tame was Vah Medoh, the next would likely be Vah Ruta since Mipha’s avoidance couldn’t outdo Link and Revali’s combined obstinance.

The matter of Vah Naboris and Vah Rudania were left shelved for another day when Mipha wasn’t still celebrating from her win against the machine that had defeated her last time and the boys weren’t still reeling from Impa’s answers.

“So the question is now,” Daruk said placing his empty plate to the side. He’d practically licked it clean, leaving no morsels or scraps from the looks of it. “Do we go to Hateno and talk to Purah, or straight to Tabantha?”

“Hateno,” Link replied with ease, taking empty wooden plates and stuffing them into Epona’s saddle bags “It’s a village relatively far from the Calamity and as a village it has some fortification against monsters and creatures. And if they reform under a Blood Moon like that man said, we can’t exactly use the Temple of Time as our home base anymore. Hateno sounds as good as any other place.”

“Hateno it is,” Daruk concluded, while the others made agreeable sounds. Link jumped up onto Epona’s back and pulled Mipha along and began trotting along the path. Zooming into their position on the map, she saw a path leading east from the Kakariko Bridge and told them to head that way in hopes that it would lead them to Hateno.

With nothing to lose, they followed the trodden and beaten path. Eventually hours past by as the sun moved across the sky and they joined a caravan that had left the Dueling Peaks Stable that was heading toward Fort Hateno. The landscape filled with broken and molded Guardians, half buried in the dirt as grass and lichens grew over them. “Time takes back all things,” Urbosa told them from atop her horse as it stepped over a Guardians odd legs. They warily watched them, slightly terrified that one would awaken and begin to attack them like the ones they had dismissed as harmless in the Eastern Abbey.

Thankfully they made it through the magnificent yet ancient walls that had stood the test of Ganon’s wrath to protect the Hylians that had sought refuge in the village past it with not even a graze. Things got a little dicey, however, when they saw a woman off the path being attacked by a lone red Bokoblin.

Link kicked in his heels and sent Epona careening for the monster, pulling a sword off his back as he cleaved its head off. By the time the woman was able to gather herself and get back on her feet, the caravan had disappeared out of sight and they were left alone in the dense forest with each other and the strange woman.

“You wouldn’t happen to be heading to Hateno Village, would you?” she asked them with a large smile on her face that was almost eerie, as they made their way back onto the path. She wore well fitted but light armour with a heavy pack on her back, which went along with the story she told them about being an adventurer. But there was just  _ something _ about her that raised Revali’s hackles.

Looking at Link, not appreciatively but something in a similar vein, she commented, “I can tell you’ve trained your body well… I’d say your familiar with swords and bows, correct?”

At Link’s affirmation, she let out a giggle “That’s a good skill set!” she cheered “Why don’t you join the Yiga clan?” When asked for more information, she seemed shocked that they did not know of it. Sighing, she explained, “It’s a powerful, brave group of warriors founded by Master Kohga and dedicated to defeating a Hero thought to long dead!” Her smile had turned malicious, her hands pulled out a red tag made of parchment and a sickle from behind her back as she declared, “I will now take your life!”

‘There it is,’ Revali couldn’t help but think when, in a plume of smoke, her form went from the ubiquitous Hylian she had pretended to be, and became a masked assassin. An upturned Sheikah Eye was branded on her mask in red, the opposite of the Sheikah Blue that denoted the Triforce of Wisdom and the Sheikah loyalty to the Royal Family that held it.

Link pulled Epona away from her as the Yiga jumped back and darted for them. Taking the advice she had learnt from Ta’loh Naeg, Mipha backflipped right off of Epona and went for the Yiga’s open back. Only for her spear to pass through smoke as they disappeared in a burst of red. It was obvious that the Yiga was dead set on taking Link’s head as it kept dodging them to go for the Hylian.

“Back up!” Urbosa roared, tendrils of lightning emitting and orbiting her body once she got off her horse. Nodding at Revali, the Rito circled around the assassin. Guiding them to single open area away from the forest, toward Urbosa and  _ away  _ from Link. With a clear line of sight, Urbosa let her power fly as she electrocuted them, and just as quickly as they had unmasked themselves, they disappeared and leaving behind numerous rupees and a pile of Mighty Bananas.

When Link reached to pick up the food after the coins, Daruk grabbed his hand and shook his head. “They could be great for a new recipe,” Link whined

“They could also be  _ poisoned _ ,” the Goron retorted as he ushered the Hylian back onto Epona so he couldn’t get another stab at the bananas.

“Next time we see a random pedestrian,” Revali grumbled, shaking off feathers that had gotten loose from the stress “Let’s not talk to them, let alone help them.”

“That would be cruel Revali,” Mipha countered, joining Link on Epona’s back as the Hylian fed the horse an apple and gave her a strong pat on the neck. Soothing her from the fright the assassin caused. 

“Once bitten, twice shy,” Urbosa retaliated, getting back on her own horse.

Continuing on their path, they passed more peddlers. Per Revali’s wishes and the darkening hour, they avoided casual chit chat for the most part. They hadn’t followed a decent sleep schedule since arriving at the Dueling Peaks, and their odd hours were starting to catch up to them at that point. Their horses stayed at a brisk trot to avoid Bokoblins that popped out from behind rocks and trees to attack them.

The only thing keeping them from destroying all the annoyances, like they had done on the Plateau, was the fact that they would all come back on the next Blood Moon.

It was only when the orange and purple hues of twilight crossed against each other like a painting made by the Goddess Hylia herself, that they reached Hateno’s gates with prayers escaping their mouths.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm replaying BotW as I write the fic to make it as accurate as possible while using a playthrough on youtube to refer to things (cus my dumbass really doesn't have space on their switch for more pictures). I don't really have an update schedule beyond write a chapter and pray, but I hope to finish this Epic retelling of BotW thats also not a retelling.  
> And bless my beta for sitting through this with me because guess who forgets all their commas and has 3 line long sentences in the first draft.
> 
> The champions, as they don't really know who they are, will be going by nicknames (except link) for the forseeable future. For reference:  
> "Urbosa": Mipha  
> "Feathers": Revali  
> "Red": Urbosa  
> "Boulder": Daruk  
> "Conscience": Zelda
> 
> Join me on [my tumblr](https://laetusfabricor.tumblr.com/) wips, snippets, and more!
> 
> For art go to my [insta](https://www.instagram.com/laetus__art/)


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